About Rookie

Rookie is an online magazine and book series for teenagers. Each month, a different editorial theme drives the writing, photography, and artwork that we publish. Learn more about us here, and find out how to submit your work here!

November 20 was the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day set aside to honor those who have lost their lives as a result of transphobic violence and to acknowledge and consider how those losses affect queer and trans communities around the globe. are at a far greater risk of murder and suicide than the general population, but when considering what it means to lose one’s life to transphobia, one must also take into account the disproportionate rate of homelessness among trans youths, the very real consequences of losing jobs or housing situations, targeting by law enforcement and the prison-industrial complex, and being unable to get access to (or being denied) adequate medical care.

In the last year, there have been 226 reported deaths in over 20 countries, with an overwhelming majority being trans women of color. This is an incredibly important truth that often gets glossed over, even in the trans community, which is a harmful form of erasure that can only be stopped by active unlearning on an individual level. It’s imperative even in times of reflection and remembrance to consider what we can do going forward to repudiate the systems that have already taken so many lives in order to prevent them from claiming more.

Fun fact: My father was a TV news reporter for most of my childhood. He had a closet of tailored suits, ironed dress shirts, and every color tie under the sun. It was his uniform, day in and day out, and aside from the ironing, it was effortless. The women at his station weren’t so lucky. They were often subjected to phone calls and emails critiquing their hairstyles and message board threads about outfits, and it was common knowledge that female broadcast journalists were constantly having their appearance monitored by the viewing public.

Karl Stefanovic, a male newscaster in Australia, took notice of this cruel dichotomy. Stefanonic quietly decided to wear the same suit every day for a year, so as to draw attention to the constant, unfair criticism his female co-anchor received about her appearance. And, SURPRISE… not! Nobody gave a damn about his suit, or even noticed. Cool, and sort of gross, of him to point it out that way.Brittany

Drake’s the type of dude who seems like he genuinely appreciates and loves mother-like figures, so the writer Jia Tolentino’s interview with Drizzy’s vocal coach, Dionne Osborne, comes off especially cute. Osborne details the loving and honest work relationship between her and one Mr. Aubrey Graham. Osborne imparts little tidbits of Drake trivia, discussing his love of sweet tea, his kind disposition, and his willingness to take direction. The conversation is hella interesting and Osborne makes some super important points on how rappers should engage with vocal training in the same way pop singers do. My absolute favorite part is when she answers the question on the coolest tour stop she’s visited:

One time we started a tour in Düsseldorf, Germany—I can’t remember the name of the facility right now, but it’s where Hitler used to hold his youth rallies. The original balconies are still there, and the second balcony on the right was literally where Hitler stood, and the Allies dropped the bomb straight through the roof, and the bomb did not explode.

I looked at Drake and was like, “You, as a black Jewish man, are standing on this stage right now.” I was like, how cool is this—it’s the ultimate finger to everything Hitler stood for. And Drake gets it. He’s somebody that wants to make his mark.

On Monday AM, I spied a photo of Solange Knowles and Alan Ferguson’s wedding, where the couple was dressed in cream and white and riding all-white bicycles, in my Twitter timeline and I had to drop everything! Theirs must be the most gorgeous and original wedding I have ever seen. Solange made a striking bride in her minimalist, caped cream pantsuit AND dress. Tumblr and Twitter were graced with photo after flawless photo of Solange (and her majestic afro) in the company of her husband, her sister King Bey, and their mama Tina Knowles looking regal. This wedding made my week!

Willow and Jaden Smith are so cool! What I love about them: their fierce spirits, and how committed they are to learning about the world and interpreting life according to their own unique perspectives. The fact that they’re in the spotlight means that they get called “weird” a lot, and it’s great to see that they don’t want to conform to be deemed more acceptable. I found myself nodding along as I read this New York Times interview with the Smith siblings, like, I get it, I get it! I think they’re both so smart.Stephanie

This National Geographic article breaks “densovirus” down for science/ecology laypeople like me, explaining that this type of parvovirus—meaning a kind of virus that mostly affects animals, a word I recognized as something the vet ruled out when my cat was having stomach problems—melts the starfish into white slime over the course of a few weeks. The scientists don’t know what triggered the outbreak that is killing millions of sea stars, but they hope that, with continued research, they can prevent it from spreading to sea stars in other parts of the world.

On Wednesday, the 2014 National Book Awards were celebrated in New York City. Here’s a full breakdown of the NBA winners, but the one I am most excited about is Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming, which won in the “Young People’s Literature” category. It’s a beautiful memoir told in verse about Woodson’s coming of age in South Carolina and New York during the ’60s and ’70s as the Jim Crow era came to an end and the Civil Rights movement gained momentum.

Another moment from the NBAs that should not be overlooked: The speech that the legendary fantasy writer Ursula Le Guin made after being awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She had much to say about art versus commerce and profit versus freedom. It’s worth listening to and thinking about.Caitlin

The vast majority of people taking to the streets over the Ayotzinapa 43 are regular old civilians who are sick of business as usual—similar to those who were activated in the United States during Occupy. The reporter Daniel Hernandez released two and a half hours of raw, live footage from the big rally in Mexico City. In the video, he goes into the crowds and interviews the protesters. Watching this video, I got a sense of the increasing awareness that is sweeping the country.

The only thing sadder than the gruesome campus rape story that opens this piece on predatory college campus culture in Rolling Stone is the fact that few women who have attended a sloshy party at a frat house will find it shocking. This piece is a damning indictment not only of University of Virginia, where the attack took place and was summarily swept under the rug, but of college administrations everywhere that accept sexual violence as part of the four-year experience. Proceed with caution: trigger warnings for sexual assault.Chanel

It’s been a big week for One Direction, and of course the stans are hella out right now. So why not read this amazing and “sobering” roundtable about 1D? The conversation touches on the guys’ current relationship with their fans, their public image, and their past, present and future.

AHHH, RIDE HAS REUNITED! The ’90s-era shoegaze greats are playing a string of shows in Europe and North America. Ride hugely influenced lots of rock bands beyond just the shoegaze scene with their soaring melodies and deeply expressive lyrics. For a musical genre that wasn’t very popular in its heyday, it’s really incredible that the past few years has produced such interest in the nostalgic scene, and that these old shoegaze bands (like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive) can reunite to critical and commercial success. Ride’s debut album Nowhere is one of my absolute favorite records and it is an essential piece of music history—I am SO EXCITED to finally hear it played live.

The profoundly personal stories from all of the interviewees in StyleLikeU’s “What’s Underneath” project are proof that our insecurities and fears and hopes are singular lived experiences, but also form a common thread that ties us all together. The project has been so successful that StyleLikeU has launched a Kickstarter in order to raise funds for a feature-length documentary film. The team will travel around the world, filming stories told by people of all races, genders, body types, and ages. StyleLikeU has unwaveringly supported the notion that all bodies are valid and worthy of love, and I hope the Kickstarter is funded, so they can bring that critically important message to an even wider audience.

This week, President Obama announced several executive actions relating to undocumented immigrants. The order, which will positively impact an estimated 5 million Americans, will prevent families from being split up due to detention or deportation. Immigration policy in the United States has led to nuclear and extended families being torn apart, and going forward many families will no longer have to live with such an unconscionable fear. The President’s plan also includes a path to citizenship for undocumented Americans and expansion of the work-visa program. ♦

Love these Saturday links! Willow and Jaden are my long lost soulmates and almost as fierce as the Smith’s was President Obama’s speech about immigration and his message to the predominant members of congress: “Pass a bill” :)

faefiresNovember 22nd, 201412:58 PM

Oh my god I am FREAKING OUT about JCM in Hedwig. How do I get myself to NYC to see this?

diyanaNovember 22nd, 20143:35 PM

– YES seeing the boys’ faces on the rookie home page makes me sooo ♡♡ i really enjoyed reading that jezebel roundtable, so much that i felt compelled to type up a 1500 word response as i read it (sorry for being so extra) which u can read here: and i also wrote about my thoughts on Four when it leaked here: [end of shameless self promo]
– Solange’s wedding portraits are everything. She looked like an absolute goddess, and I’m honestly so happy for her!
– LOVED reading that Dionne Osborn interview; reading about this side of Drake and how he’s evolved is so educational, as he’s one of my favourite artists and his impact on pop culture is so inspiring! Dionne is brilliant.

allydoubleyouNovember 22nd, 20144:25 PM

YES Nova I was so happy that you mentioned Jaden and Willow Smith! I’ve been hoping that Rookie would do an interview with them because I’m so sick of hearing all of the media outlets calling them crazy. They’re saying things that don’t make sense to the reporters, but that doesn’t mean they’re nuts. It just means the reporters don’t understand. I think a lot of teenagers would get what they’re talking about, though. I feel like if Rookie did a back and forth with them it would look less like the reporter asking them “what do you think about xyz” and then them answering and the reporter going off and asking something else completely just to see what reaction they’d have and it’d look more like a conversation. Okay rant over ^_^

TessAnnesleyNovember 22nd, 20148:03 PM

I am so fucking protective of One Direction fans, holy shit. The amount of trash (heaps of it misogynistic teenage girl hate!) that gets thrown at them disgusts me. This roundtable is a perfect example HEY, LOOK HOW SMART THEY ARE. LOOK AT THEM.
Oh man, keep me away from humans, all I want to do is make sure they’re all fine.

justlikemoniNovember 22nd, 201410:15 PM

Hi! my name is Monica and I’m from Mexico. I really appreciate you guys mention, even a little, about what occurred the last thursday here in Mexico, maybe for most of the rookie fellows seems so distant but the happening is about young people standing up and raising their voices for justice and for a better place to live. Thank you Caitlin and Rookie Magazine :)

RJNovember 23rd, 20141:04 PM

May I point out that the story about the haunted house and the man found stabbed also includes quite graphic descriptions of the sexual assault and murder of a minor. Thought I’d mention it seeing as the story below it gets a trigger warning for sexual assault, but the pretty disturbing one before it doesn’t.

(I’m not trying to sound like a fuddy-duddy, just figured if one story has a warning then it must be important. I’ll go be boring somewhere else now.)

RJ

P.S. High-fives all round for Ursula Le Guin.

kelseyNovember 23rd, 20143:18 PM

That article from Rolling Stone made me SO MAD. I hope tons of people feel the same OVERWHELMING ANGER I do, because it’s very motivating.

KavitaNovember 23rd, 20144:13 PM

Nothing related to this article, but I was really hoping someone on Rookie would write a review about Taylor Swift’s album, 1989! Especially since I know Tavi is a big fan, and as a huge fan myself, it would be awesome to hear what you guys think :)